Lufthansa extends Tehran flights suspension due to security concerns

German airline Lufthansa passenger planes stand on the tarmac at Frankfurt Airport. Boris Roessler/dpa
German airline Lufthansa passenger planes stand on the tarmac at Frankfurt Airport. Boris Roessler/dpa

Lufthansa has extended the suspension of planned flights to and from Tehran until Thursday next week due to security concerns, the German flagship carrier said early on Friday.

"Due to the current situation, Lufthansa is suspending its flights to and from Tehran up to and including Thursday, April 18, after careful evaluation," a company spokesperson said on Friday afternoon.

The safety of passengers and crews is always the top priority, the statement said. Lufthansa does not rely solely on government assessments, but evaluates the current security situation itself and then makes its own decisions, it added.

Lufthansa had already announced last Saturday that it was suspending flights to and from the Iranian capital for several days.

"We are constantly monitoring the situation in the Middle East and are in close contact with the authorities," the airline said.

Following a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy compound in Syria at the beginning of April, threats from Tehran towards Israel have recently increased. In response, Israel declared that it would not leave a possible Iranian attack on its territory unanswered.